Paris suburb building blast death toll reaches 8

Officials said there was no longer any danger in the neighborhood after an explosion sheared part of the building

September 01, 2014 08:36 AM

Speaking on i-Tele, fire department spokesman Gabriel Plus said around 10 people were evacuated from the building. Plus said that around another 10 people could still be underneath the rubble, and emergency teams were working hard to rescue people who might be trapped. “We could still find living victims in the hours to come,” he said. (AP Photo/Christophe Ena)

The Associated Press

PARIS — The death toll in the partial collapse of a four-story apartment building in a Paris suburb has risen to eight after emergency crews pulled the bodies of a man and a woman from the rubble.

Fire department spokesman Gabriel Plus said the bodies were found Monday in Rosny-sous-Bois, a town northeast of the capital.

Officials said there was no longer any danger in the neighborhood after an explosion sheared part of the building Sunday, scattering scraps of metal and household belongings.

French Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve said a gas leak is believed to be the cause of the explosion.

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